Advanced Second Language Segmental and Suprasegmental Acquisition

Saito, Kazuya

doi:10.1002/9781119261650.ch15

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Auditory training of this type is compatible with a major theory of perception‐based L2 speech learning: Learners encode L2 speech information based on relevant spectral and temporal cues, as a function of how well they detect perceptual dissimilarities between L2 sounds and their L1 counterparts (see Flege, , for speech learning model). Following this line of thought, any learning is hypothesized to initially happen in the dimension of perception skills, which will in turn activate relevant articulators, on the assumption that perception will precede production (for a comprehensive overview focusing on different theories of L2 speech learning, see Saito, ).…”

Section: Different Types Of L2 Pronunciation Instruction and Resultinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Second Language Pronunciation Teaching Revisited: A Proposed Measurement Framework and Meta‐Analysis

2019

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We propose a new framework for conceptualizing measures of instructed second language (L2) pronunciation performance according to three sets of parameters: (a) the constructs (focused on global vs. specific aspects of pronunciation), (b) the scoring method (human raters vs. acoustic analyses), and (c) the type of knowledge elicited (controlled vs. spontaneous). Adopting this model (Framework for L2 Pronunciation Measurement) as a synthetic tool, we coded the instruments found in 77 studies of L2 pronunciation teaching published between 1982 and 2017. We calculated the frequency of each measurement type and reexamined the interaction of instructional effectiveness and measurement within the sample. According to the results, instruction is most effective when it targets learners' monitored production of specific segmental or suprasegmental features. The efficacy of instruction remains relatively unclear when gains are measured globally via subjective, human judgments, especially at a spontaneous level.

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Section: Different Types Of L2 Pronunciation Instruction and Resultinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Second Language Pronunciation Teaching Revisited: A Proposed Measurement Framework and Meta‐Analysis

2019

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“…According to the psycholinguistic view of the development of L2 sound and word knowledge, learning can take place at multiple stages (see Saito, 2018, for an overview). Similar to L1 acquisition, learners first prioritize the acquisition of semantic information at the expense of linguistic accuracy when they encounter new words during L2 speech learning.…”

Section: Background Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Incidental and Multimodal High Variability Phonetic Training: Potential, Limits, and Future Directions

et al. 2022

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Scholars have extensively investigated the effectiveness of high variability phonetic training (HVPT), that is, identification and discrimination of second language speech sounds produced by multiple speakers followed by trial-by-trial feedback. Building on the notion of incidental and multimodal learning in cognitive psychology (e.g., Lim & Holt, 2011), we developed a new, HVPT-based videogame paradigm in which participants aimed to shoot clay targets as fast as possible while being guided to learn sound cues as a by-product of planned learning. Focusing on the speech acquisition of 58 Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language learners, the current study set out to test the pedagogical potential and limits of the incidental HVPT approach. According to the results of statistical analyses, the effectiveness of incidental HVPT can be more clearly observed if it focuses on more learnable targets (e.g., acquisition of English [ae]-[ʌ] rather than [r]-[l] contrasts) with gains being more generalizable from trained to new speakers' voices and from perception to production dimensions.We gratefully acknowledge insightful comments from anonymous Language Learning reviewers and Associate Editor Judit Kormos on earlier versions of the manuscript.

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“…Only if exposed to the L2 at an early age can high proficiency be achieved concerning the acoustic and articulatory characteristics of L2 segments that are not present in the L2, and concerning prosody (word stress, sentence accent, and intonation). Finally, fluency (articulation, speech rate) seems to be highly difficult regardless of age of L2 exposure (Saito, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Production of Vowels and Nuclear Accents by Chilean Learners of English as a Foreign Language

Saz¹,

Grau²

2022

RLA. Rev. Ling.

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Previous studies show that L2 segments are easier to acquire than suprasegments. In an EFL context, the L1 influence seems to be minimized as learners gain L2 experience. Our study explores the effect of L1 transfer from Spanish and L2 experience in English on the production of vowels and nuclear accent, by comparing acoustically the productions of elementary and advanced learners of EFL in Chile. Results indicate improvement with higher L2 experience, although still far from native speakers. Concerning vowels, certain problems with tongue advancement and height persist at advanced levels, with overreliance on intensity to produce tense vowels. Regarding nuclear accents, correct nucleus placement improves with experience, and productions start to reflect the acoustic correlates of one English variety, still with a tendency to over rely on duration to mark the nucleus. Further research is warranted, such as on rhythm and fluency, to have a more holistic understanding of the effects of L1 transfer and L2 experience on L2 English.

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Advanced Second Language Segmental and Suprasegmental Acquisition

Cited by 18 publications

References 81 publications

Effects of Second Language Pronunciation Teaching Revisited: A Proposed Measurement Framework and Meta‐Analysis

Effects of Second Language Pronunciation Teaching Revisited: A Proposed Measurement Framework and Meta‐Analysis

Incidental and Multimodal High Variability Phonetic Training: Potential, Limits, and Future Directions

Production of Vowels and Nuclear Accents by Chilean Learners of English as a Foreign Language

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